Periodontal Disease and Dental Implant Failure

Dental implants are often used to replace lost teeth, and the leading cause of tooth loss is periodontal disease. However, periodontal disease is also a leading cause of dental implant failure, and people with a history of chronic periodontal disease experience a failure rate many times higher than those without a prior history.

Does this mean that dental implants are not a good treatment for these patients that need them most? No, but it does mean that patients and dentists have to work together to overcome this risk.

How Periodontal Disease Leads to Tooth Loss

Periodontal disease leads to tooth loss by damaging the support structures around the tooth. As bacteria colonise the area around your teeth, they naturally excrete acid as a by-product of their digestion of sugars and other carbohydrates. This acid can erode tooth material, gums, and even your bone.

As periodontal disease progresses, you may begin to notice that your gums are red and inflamed, and, eventually, your teeth may begin to feel loose. Finally, your teeth may come out under the stress of eating, or may have to be removed as the only way to combat the infection.

How Periodontal Disease Leads to Implant Failure

The strength of dental implants is that they are secured in your jawbone the same way that your natural teeth are. Unfortunately, this means that they are also vulnerable to the same processes by which bacteria can break down bones around your natural teeth. Even if you have a bone graft to replace lost bone before having dental implants, the infection can recur and cause a loss of dental implants.

For Success, You Have to Play Your Part

If periodontal disease led to you losing your teeth, it could lead to failure of your dental implants. If you are truly committed to having an attractive, functional new smile with dental implants, you also have to be committed to caring for your oral health. We may recommend alterations to your oral hygiene routine that should be followed very closely.

But if we work together, we can put you in the increasingly large category of people who overcame periodontal disease and got a great smile with dental implants.

My Hills Dentist is a full service local dental practice and a national leader in denture and dental implants technology. We offer comprehensive dental services to our neighbours in Baulkham Hills and Sydney, from basic preventive care to advanced restorative dentistry, sleep dentistry, and neuromuscular dentistry. My Hills Dentist was the first practice in the world to offer both FOY ® Dentures and BPS ® Dentures, and the addition of a new digital dental implants process gives our patients maximum flexibility in getting the best tooth replacement option available.

Dr. David Lee is a highly experienced cosmetic dentist with specialized training in dental implants, dentures, and accelerated orthodontics. Dr. Andrew J Ryu is a dedicated and compassionate dentist whose ongoing education is helping him move toward the forefront of the profession. Together they want to give you the best dental experience possible.